Category: Professional Sports

Venues

New Venues to Watch in 2020

As the demand for spaces to host sporting events continues to grow, destinations across the country are examining their inventory, identifying needs and building accordingly. Here are 10 new sports complexes to keep an eye on in 2020. AdventHealth Field House and Conference Center Winter Haven, Florida Opened: December 2019 Located less than 50 miles from […]

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Indians White Sox Spring Baseball
Fans were already learning social distancing during MLB's spring training. Photo: Gregory Bull/AP Images

Special Report: How COVID-19 has Changed the Sports-Event Industry

After months of waiting, you and your spouse are heading to the stadium. After a wait of what seems like forever to be at a game, your mobile tickets are loaded on the phone as you get out of your car and head over to the stadium entrance, making sure to stop six feet from […]

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Virus Outbreak Wrestling Essential Business
Equipment trailers are lined up at the entrance road to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Panel: Adapting to New Normal Key for Organizations and Leagues

Knowing the sports world will forever be changed and getting fans adjusted to new protocols to attend events will be a key issue for sports organizations going forward, said panelists during a Variety webinar this week — but it has also sped up the innovations that can solidify communication with fans. During the event “The […]

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US Open Tennis
Serena Williams has said she intends to play at the 2020 U.S. Open. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Images

How the U.S. Open Plans to Isolate Players from COVID-19

The USTA formally announced that the U.S. Open will be played in 2020, along with the Western & Southern Open, which will be moved from its longtime home in Cincinnati to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. And in announcing the events’ return, which will occur without spectators, the governing body […]

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Brandon Thompson

NASCAR Names First VP of Diversity and Inclusion

Less than a week after announcing it would ban the Confederate flag from all its events, NASCAR has created a new position of vice president of diversity and inclusion, to be filled by league executive Brandon Thompson. In the new position, Thompson will oversee the league’s strategy for diversity and inclusion, as well as programs […]

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Colonial Golf
Signs at various locations remind golfers of social distancing rules during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sports in a Post-COVID World: Industry Leaders React

With so much unknown about the short-, mid- and long-term future of the sports-event industry, destinations, rights holders and industry suppliers have tried to prepare as best they can for what may lie ahead. SportsTravel asked leaders across the industry to give their thoughts about the remarkable past few months, what they are doing now […]

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US Open New Tournament Director Tennis
In this Aug. 24, 2017, file photo, Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Tennis Association's chief executive of professional tennis, watches a qualifying round of the U.S Open. Allaster is taking over as the U.S. Open’s tournament director, the first woman to hold that job at the Grand Slam tournament. She will stay on as the USTA's chief executive of professional tennis, the association said. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr., File)

Stacey Allaster Becomes First Female U.S. Open Tournament Director

The United States Tennis Association has named Stacey Allaster, its chief executive for professional tennis, as the tournament director for the U.S. Open. Allaster is the first female tournament director in the event’s 140-year history. Allaster will be responsible for all competitive aspects of the tournament including player relations, officiating, and match scheduling, among other […]

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NASCAR logo

NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag at Events

NASCAR has made the decision to ban the Confederate Flag from being displayed anywhere at its events as the sports-event world continues to make public stands against racial injustice and racism in general. “The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for […]

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PFL Spectacle_Arena copy
The Professional Fighters League's 2019 season-ending championship was held on New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 2021 championship will be held at a new location to be determined. Photo courtesy of Professional Fighters League.

Professional Fighters League Going Global in 2021

Having decided to be one of the few professional leagues to cancel the 2020 season outright instead of staging a modified version, the Professional Fighters League has already moved toward planning for 2021 and extending its reach internationally. In 2019, the mixed martial arts league featured six weight classes, including a women’s division, with the […]

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